A suburbanista's journey to transform a mid-century ranch into her perfect "country-cottage" dream home

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Monday, September 14, 2009

Blue Monday 9/14. & VTT 9/17--The old school desk

Happy Monday! It's time for Blue Monday again! Be sure to pay our hostess, Smiling Sally, a visit and see who else is sharing the blue's. I'm also going to share this for my Vintage Thingies Thursday which is hosted by Suzanne @ Colorado Lady.Have a fantastic day everyone!

How I love our old vintage school desk. Twenty-two years ago my daughter's paternal grandfather gifted her with this desk. He used to be a school custodian and one day he was given the chore of clearing and disposing of items that had been locked in the storage rooms. He came upon many school desks that had been stored and forgotten. He found homes for as many as he could and my daughter was one of the lucky children to receive one. This desk has been well used and well loved. I often think of the secrets and wishes that may have been made by the children who sat here and I know of some wishes my own children have made....ahhh, if this desk could only speak and tell us her story. When Mr Cottage and I were newly married, I had to leave sweet desk behind and a family member left her out in the rain and to weather the elements. When we returned for her, she was in sad shape. The entire desk top had to be replaced. Thankfully Mr Cottage had a friend who was a carpenter who used the old desk top as a template. you can see the notches that were "copied" where the pens were to be laid and right in the middle of those notches is a place where the "ink well" would have been kept. I still have the ink well but we chose not to add the "hole" for fear that the kids would damage it or hurt themselves. Yes, this little desk is still used. My girls used it until they could no longer fit, and now my "soon to be" 10 year old uses it when he does his homework. It won't be long til he can no longer fit. Not to worry, the baby of the bunch uses the desk as well. Right now it's painted the blue the kids wanted but the younger ones are screaming for red. I wonder how it would look? LOL!P.S. never mind those stains on the carpet. That's what happens when you let a toddler walk around with a sippy cup filled with grape juice. Oy! One day that nasty old carpet will be lifted and the 55 year old oak floors beneath, will be refinished. It's on the "list".

I think red would be great! I had a piece in my room growing up that was just the desk part, no attached chair. Wish I still had it. I'm glad your carpenter friend was able to redo the lid/top and the desk from long ago continues to make a history for its self.Monday Blessings ;-)

I love the desk and think it looks great in blue, but if they want red I say go for it. You'd have a ready made entry for Ruby Tuesday. The important thing is to keep it in the family. I hope you are having a wonderful day.

Nice blue desk and nice memories.FYI: Take up the carpet NOW..you won't regret it :) We have hardwood floors to and when we bought the house 5 years ago..all the carpet went out the door. We have dogs and Grand daughter...and I've moved furniture and the looks are fine...I also have some area rugs. Warmly,Deb :)

Hi Rechelle, the desk has a wonderful story and is a great color for kids. How lucky the desk was saved. It is a great vintage treasure. How sad that the top was weathered so badly. You really can't tell that it has a new top. Good job.

I remember those desks! Our were gray metal but had beautiful burnished wood tops that opened just like that. Do you remember the ones that didn't open at all, just had a shelf underneath? Or the ones that had a basket under the seat? Those were the days. I miss them. Love your blue beauty. I think it would be ok to paint it apple red, then turn it back to blue after a few years. Experiment. xxoo

Wonderful little desk and love the blue color. Red would be cute too. I always loved sitting in the lift up desks. You could arrange all of your books and pencils so neatly inside the storage area. Nice story!

I was picturing an older wood desk until I saw the picture. I remember when I was in about second grade all the kids had to bring furniture polish to school to polish the wood tops. Your desk is the more "modern" kind I had when I moved to a different school.

Love your little blue desk! My Mom still has my old desk like that, that I would play school with. My daughter also played school with it. Great post, and I hope you get to uncover those wood floors soon!Happy VTT!

Hi RechelleThat desk is a very special one and isn't it something that so many young ones in the family have been able to do their homework on it. I think painting it red is a great idea. I haven't seen a desk that style.thank you for sharing your story..Judi

What a fabulous and cheerful desk! It instantly brought back a memory for me that I hadn't thought about in many years...

When I was growing up we somehow acquired an old (50s, if not earlier) metal desk (it was sort of a pale green meets grey hue) that we kept outside during the summer to draw/paint/write on. I have no idea where it came from or what happened to it once we grew up, but your post suddenly jogged memories of having a school desk that was similar in shape to this one, at home all year round.

Thank you very much for your recent comment, sweet dear, I hope your autumn is off to a marvelous start!♥ Jessica

Rechelle....where are you? I wanted to stop by again and tell you how much I enjoy your blog and appreciate you following my blog. I want to bestow upon you the "HONEST SCRAP" blog award that was shared with me. I'd like to get to know you better and hope you'll participate. Please visit my blog to learn about the award and somethings about me. Here's my link: http://athomewithacountrylady.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-first-blog-awardhonest-scrap-award.html

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About Me

Hi! I'm Rechelle. Mommy and Stepmom to my blended brood. As you can imagine there is never a dull or quiet moment in our home. And it's a rather "cozy" home at that, one that seems even "cozier" when we're all together at the same time! I love anything with a history. My home is filled with treasures that have been handed down through generations, or that I've found in thrift stores & antique malls. I love all kinds of music, classic movies & Gene Kelly. Some of my favorite things are vintage tablecloths, lace, beadboard, toile, fine china, tea sets, old homes- be they craftsman, victorian or farmhouses-, decorating & antiques. Living in a cookie cutter house has had it's decorating challenges but my husband and I have loved adding character and making it a "home". We've still many projects to embark upon, but one day... Welcome to my blog, happy reading and please comment! I'd love to get to know you better and may we become fast friends. Enjoy your day and may it be great!